436 



GLEANINGS IN 



EE CULTURE 



July, 1922 



MIGRATORY BEEKEEPING 



Success Depends 

 serration, 'Proper 

 Hard 



THE element 

 of chance 

 always ac- 

 companies the 

 migrator, yet 

 disregarding this 

 fact, *.he prac- 

 tice of migratory 

 beekeeping a s 

 carried on in 

 California is decidedly profitable. Our semi- 

 tropical climate, varied topography, long 

 seasons and good roads make this possible. 

 In addition, the states of Nevada and Cali- 

 fornia practice reciprocity. It is quite true 

 that migratory beekeeping helps to dissem- 

 inate disease, but its practice should be 

 condemned on that account no more than, 

 for instance, the transportation of sheep 

 from one pasture to another. 



General Considerations. 

 Migratory beekeeping brings into play 

 nearly every phase of beekeeping. Of course, 

 bee behavior, the very foundation of bee- 

 keeping, must be thoroughly understood, and 

 it requires a great deal of ingenuity to 

 maintain intact that big working force 

 throughout the long season. Of next im- 

 portance is plant behavior and the relation- 

 ship which it bears to climate, especially 

 seasonal variations. As pointed out in last 

 month 's article, this phase of our problem is 

 the most puzzling, and it is here that we 

 experience the big element of chance, which, 

 by the way, affords such keen delight to 

 almost all of us. Such possibilities! We 

 must be believers in the adage, "Anticipa- 

 tion is two-thirds the pleasure of life. ' ' In 

 the winter time when we plan our migratory 

 adventures we become quite worked up as 

 we proceed from one contemplated move to 

 another. Frequently our plans do not work 

 out. It is because we know so very little 

 about honey flows. How are we going to 

 know whether they are going to be light, or 

 when they will begin, or when they will 

 end? We never shall be able to know with 



By M. C. Richter 



any degree of 



certainty, as we 



are unable to 



Upon Keen Ob- foretell weather 



//>,>./• J.- J conditions which 



application and influence them. 



Climatic records 

 and the records 

 pertaining to the 

 length and char- 

 acter of flows over a period of years are of 

 inestimable value to the migratory bee- 

 keeper. 



Keen observation, an ability to apply 

 such observations to practical use and the 

 ever increasing value of records are a part 

 of this work that no one can afford to neg- 

 lect. 



Another important item is that of main- 

 taining an accurate account of operating 

 costs throughout the season. The cost of 

 production for each migration also should 

 l3e definitely known and made use of in 

 connection with the number of pounds of 

 honey produced. This branch of the work 

 is ever so important, for it may happen 

 that a certain migration resulting in a 70- 

 pound surplus actually proved less profit- 

 able than an another move where only a 

 50-pound surplus was gathered. In such a 

 case the cost of moving in the former was 

 greater than that in the latter. 



Another qualification pertinent to migra- 

 tory beekeeping, which has not been con- 

 sidered to any extent in the past, is that 

 of endurance. It happens frequently that 

 the beekeeper must drive his truck through- 

 out the entire night and well into the next 

 morning before his destination has been 

 reached. The test of one's strength comes 

 during the morning hours and especially 

 when the colonies are being placed on their 

 stands preparatory to releasing the bees. 

 Anxiety regarding suffocation likewise 

 taxes our powers of endurance. Yet these 

 night experiences linger longer in our mem- 

 orv and add immenselv to the fascination 



The modern method of moving entire apiaries long difstvinccs over California paved highways. 



